Will317
09-17-2004, 07:12 PM
Arsenal v Bolton
Highbury
Saturday, 18 September
Kick-off: 1245 BST
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Arsenal's Fredrik Ljungberg could return after shaking off a back injury and Brazilian Edu is set to complete a revamped midfield.
The Gunners' other Brazilian, Gilberto, is likely to make way and Dennis Bergkamp may also be rested.
Bolton's Ricardo Gardner could replace Anthony Barness after being rested for the game against Manchester United.
On-loan striker El Hadji Diouf could also make his first start after impressing as a substitute a week ago.
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Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Almunia, Taylor, Lauren, Hoyte, Cole, Clichy, Toure, Cygan, Senderos, Vieira, Gilberto, Edu, Fabregas, Flamini, Reyes, Pires, Ljungberg, Pennant, Henry, Bergkamp, van Persie.
Bolton (from): Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Jaidi, N'Gotty, Gardner, Barness, Hierro, Giannakopoulos, Okocha, Campo, Speed, Nolan, Davies, Pedersen, Diouf, Ferdinand, Oakes, Cesar.
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BIG-MATCH FACTS
ARSENAL defend the only remaining 100% record in English League football against Bolton in an unlikely top three Saturday lunchtime clash at Highbury. Should the irresistible, rampant Gunners take maximum points, they will not only extend their record unbeaten run to 46 consecutive Premiership games and 23 without defeat at home, they will also equal Newcastle's Premiership record of six wins from the start of the season (set between 21 August and 18 September 1994), and equal their own club record best winning start notched between 23 August and 10 September 1947.
The sixth and last victory in that winning string of 57 years ago was a 2-0 home win over Bolton. In Premiership meetings, Arsenal have only dropped two home points to the Trotters, winning eight and drawing one of the last nine League match-ups at Highbury. Robert Pires has scored in each of the last three home and away Premiership contests with Wanderers.
High winds delayed the start of last season's corresponding fixture, but Arsenal soon roared into a two goal lead through Pires and Dennis Bergkamp, and although Bolton refused to be blown away halving the deficit in the second period through Ivan Campo, the Gunners duly extended their unbeaten Premiership run against the Trotters to nine matches.
Manager Arsene Wenger, 55 next Wednesday, is looking for an early birthday present from a side that made a winning, if not too convincing 1-0 start to their Champions League campaign, at home to PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.
BOLTON WANDERERS followed up a 1-0 home win over Liverpool by nearly snatching victory over Manchester United. But even getting their noses in front with a score in added time was not enough for victory against the Red Devils. Now, having plotted against the former champions, Sam Allardyce must take on the current ones in Bolton's 200th League game in his charge.
Wanderers get their third opportunity to halt the relentless run by Wenger's superbly drilled unit, which began in May last year. Even though the Trotters have started the campaign with three wins and a draw from five outings to rise to a lofty third place, victory at Highbury would still be something of a shock. It would take Wanderers to within two points of their rivals at the summit, and deny them a five point advantage over the rest at the final whistle.
The north west club have managed only one win in 10 Premiership matches against Arsenal, and have been triumphant only once in 13 League trips to the North London giants. That was 44 years ago, when winning 1-2 in the top flight on 13 January 1962.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)
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SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
ARSENAL
Club stats
Fixtures
1st 15 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's games:
Five points clear AT THE TOP
Lowest could fall: STAY TOP
15 points out of 15 is the best start to a League season since 1947.
Won last six in all competitions.
Bidding for an eighth successive Premiership win.
Won 18 of the last 23 top flight outings, including the last seven.
Won 33 and drawn 12 Premiership games since losing 2-3 to Leeds on 4 May 2003.
Previous longest winning League sequence was at the beginning of the year when nine victories were registered between 10 January and 20 March.
Challenging for a fourth successive home League victory.
Gone 22 home League games without defeat.
Won 18 and drawn 4 Premiership games at Highbury since losing 2-3 to Leeds on 4 May 2003.
Need one more victory to total 250 all-time in the Premier League.
Conceded 197 home goals all-time in the Premiership.
Hold the strongest attacking record in the top League: 19 goals in five games.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Club stats
Fixtures
3rd 10 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's games: 2nd
Lowest could fall: 6th
A win would represent the club's best ever start to a Premiership season, the previous best being 11 points from a possible 18 in 2001/02.
Dropped just five points so far this season in the highest League.
Joint third highest scorers in the Premiership with nine goals - but that's 10 fewer than Arsenal have accumulated.
Won eight of the last 11 Premiership matches.
Not managed a clean sheet in 18 away games in all competitions, since winning 0-2 at Leeds in the top League on 22 November 2003.
Three points shy of totalling 150 in the Premiership under Sam Allardyce.
Not managed a clean sheet in 16 League and Cup games away from home.
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KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
ARSENAL
Squad profiles
Jose Antonio REYES and Manchester United's Alan SMITH are the top scorers among Premiership players of club League and Cup goals this season - six each.
REYES tops the Premiership scoring charts, with five.
When fit and next appears from the outset of a League game, Sol CAMPBELL, 30 this match day Saturday, will be making his 100th Premiership appearance for the Gunners and 450th club career start.
If selected in the 11, Fredrik LJUNGBERG will be making his 200th start for the Gunners.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Squad profiles
Les FERDINAND became the first player to score for six different clubs in the Premiership, when he netted late on against Manchester United.
It is in dispute whether FERDINAND is on 149 or 150 career Premiership goals at present. It depends on the scorer in Queen's Park Rangers 1-0 home victory over Blackburn on 6 November 1993, which was either a Ferdinand goal or a Colin Hendry own goal - sources disagree and the Dubious Goals Panel was not in existence then.
If he plays, FERDINAND will be making his 400th career league appearance.
When Kevin POOLE next takes the field, he'll be making his 300th career League appearance.
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LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME:
Arsenal 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
20 March 2004 - Ref: Graham Barber
Arsenal scorers: Pires 16, Bergkamp 24
Bolton scorer: Campo 41
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
League: Arsenal 42 wins, Bolton 31, Draws 29
Prem: Arsenal 6 wins, Bolton 1, Draws 3
HEAD TO HEAD at Arsenal
League: Arsenal 30 wins, Bolton 7, Draws 14
Prem: Arsenal 4 wins, Bolton 0, Draws 1
Highbury
Saturday, 18 September
Kick-off: 1245 BST
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arsenal's Fredrik Ljungberg could return after shaking off a back injury and Brazilian Edu is set to complete a revamped midfield.
The Gunners' other Brazilian, Gilberto, is likely to make way and Dennis Bergkamp may also be rested.
Bolton's Ricardo Gardner could replace Anthony Barness after being rested for the game against Manchester United.
On-loan striker El Hadji Diouf could also make his first start after impressing as a substitute a week ago.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Almunia, Taylor, Lauren, Hoyte, Cole, Clichy, Toure, Cygan, Senderos, Vieira, Gilberto, Edu, Fabregas, Flamini, Reyes, Pires, Ljungberg, Pennant, Henry, Bergkamp, van Persie.
Bolton (from): Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Jaidi, N'Gotty, Gardner, Barness, Hierro, Giannakopoulos, Okocha, Campo, Speed, Nolan, Davies, Pedersen, Diouf, Ferdinand, Oakes, Cesar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG-MATCH FACTS
ARSENAL defend the only remaining 100% record in English League football against Bolton in an unlikely top three Saturday lunchtime clash at Highbury. Should the irresistible, rampant Gunners take maximum points, they will not only extend their record unbeaten run to 46 consecutive Premiership games and 23 without defeat at home, they will also equal Newcastle's Premiership record of six wins from the start of the season (set between 21 August and 18 September 1994), and equal their own club record best winning start notched between 23 August and 10 September 1947.
The sixth and last victory in that winning string of 57 years ago was a 2-0 home win over Bolton. In Premiership meetings, Arsenal have only dropped two home points to the Trotters, winning eight and drawing one of the last nine League match-ups at Highbury. Robert Pires has scored in each of the last three home and away Premiership contests with Wanderers.
High winds delayed the start of last season's corresponding fixture, but Arsenal soon roared into a two goal lead through Pires and Dennis Bergkamp, and although Bolton refused to be blown away halving the deficit in the second period through Ivan Campo, the Gunners duly extended their unbeaten Premiership run against the Trotters to nine matches.
Manager Arsene Wenger, 55 next Wednesday, is looking for an early birthday present from a side that made a winning, if not too convincing 1-0 start to their Champions League campaign, at home to PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.
BOLTON WANDERERS followed up a 1-0 home win over Liverpool by nearly snatching victory over Manchester United. But even getting their noses in front with a score in added time was not enough for victory against the Red Devils. Now, having plotted against the former champions, Sam Allardyce must take on the current ones in Bolton's 200th League game in his charge.
Wanderers get their third opportunity to halt the relentless run by Wenger's superbly drilled unit, which began in May last year. Even though the Trotters have started the campaign with three wins and a draw from five outings to rise to a lofty third place, victory at Highbury would still be something of a shock. It would take Wanderers to within two points of their rivals at the summit, and deny them a five point advantage over the rest at the final whistle.
The north west club have managed only one win in 10 Premiership matches against Arsenal, and have been triumphant only once in 13 League trips to the North London giants. That was 44 years ago, when winning 1-2 in the top flight on 13 January 1962.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
ARSENAL
Club stats
Fixtures
1st 15 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's games:
Five points clear AT THE TOP
Lowest could fall: STAY TOP
15 points out of 15 is the best start to a League season since 1947.
Won last six in all competitions.
Bidding for an eighth successive Premiership win.
Won 18 of the last 23 top flight outings, including the last seven.
Won 33 and drawn 12 Premiership games since losing 2-3 to Leeds on 4 May 2003.
Previous longest winning League sequence was at the beginning of the year when nine victories were registered between 10 January and 20 March.
Challenging for a fourth successive home League victory.
Gone 22 home League games without defeat.
Won 18 and drawn 4 Premiership games at Highbury since losing 2-3 to Leeds on 4 May 2003.
Need one more victory to total 250 all-time in the Premier League.
Conceded 197 home goals all-time in the Premiership.
Hold the strongest attacking record in the top League: 19 goals in five games.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Club stats
Fixtures
3rd 10 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's games: 2nd
Lowest could fall: 6th
A win would represent the club's best ever start to a Premiership season, the previous best being 11 points from a possible 18 in 2001/02.
Dropped just five points so far this season in the highest League.
Joint third highest scorers in the Premiership with nine goals - but that's 10 fewer than Arsenal have accumulated.
Won eight of the last 11 Premiership matches.
Not managed a clean sheet in 18 away games in all competitions, since winning 0-2 at Leeds in the top League on 22 November 2003.
Three points shy of totalling 150 in the Premiership under Sam Allardyce.
Not managed a clean sheet in 16 League and Cup games away from home.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
ARSENAL
Squad profiles
Jose Antonio REYES and Manchester United's Alan SMITH are the top scorers among Premiership players of club League and Cup goals this season - six each.
REYES tops the Premiership scoring charts, with five.
When fit and next appears from the outset of a League game, Sol CAMPBELL, 30 this match day Saturday, will be making his 100th Premiership appearance for the Gunners and 450th club career start.
If selected in the 11, Fredrik LJUNGBERG will be making his 200th start for the Gunners.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Squad profiles
Les FERDINAND became the first player to score for six different clubs in the Premiership, when he netted late on against Manchester United.
It is in dispute whether FERDINAND is on 149 or 150 career Premiership goals at present. It depends on the scorer in Queen's Park Rangers 1-0 home victory over Blackburn on 6 November 1993, which was either a Ferdinand goal or a Colin Hendry own goal - sources disagree and the Dubious Goals Panel was not in existence then.
If he plays, FERDINAND will be making his 400th career league appearance.
When Kevin POOLE next takes the field, he'll be making his 300th career League appearance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME:
Arsenal 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
20 March 2004 - Ref: Graham Barber
Arsenal scorers: Pires 16, Bergkamp 24
Bolton scorer: Campo 41
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
League: Arsenal 42 wins, Bolton 31, Draws 29
Prem: Arsenal 6 wins, Bolton 1, Draws 3
HEAD TO HEAD at Arsenal
League: Arsenal 30 wins, Bolton 7, Draws 14
Prem: Arsenal 4 wins, Bolton 0, Draws 1